Begin (JJK) BTS 2026 series Book 3 (COMPLETED)

The Stage Is Set

Binna stands alone in the quiet of the secret location for the music video set; a tiny apartment in Nonhyeon Dong. Their actual first dorm; where it all started for them. The space has long been rented by other tenants since the group moved on to successive dorms, but this was their first home; 56 meters square, two bedrooms, one with seven beds and one set up as a studio, with one bathroom, shared by all. When she and Jungkook first came up with the idea to recreate their first dorm, down to every item on every shelf, she knew that it would take a lot of props and materials, and money, but she knew that it was more meaningful to them than any other set could be. He responded to her ideas immediately, recognizing how the song, representing a hope for the future, a life fulfilled, would connect their past to their present. The video with the members each visiting this space, without knowing what they will experience until they open the door, will be authentic, will be emotional and will be powerful. They have come so far from their humble beginnings. They have achieved so much.

She looks at the pictures printed out from the screen grabs on her phone, as she compares them to what the production designers have recreated. She looks over the racks of drying clothing, the piles of neatly folded laundry, the toys, the gadgets, the memorabilia, and she nods, checking off the items in a list in her head. No detail has been missed. It feels as though they have opened a time capsule from their past, even though most of the objects had to be recreated and are not the originals, it feels real. She can almost hear an echo of the clatter of the members talking and laughing in a distant room as she stands in this small apartment.

It wasn't difficult to get this apartment vacated for use by the production. All she had to do was knock on the door, and show a large amount of money from the HYBE coffers to the current tenants, and they were happy to sign whatever she put in front of them. Once the production is wrapped, the design team will put back all of their meager belongings, stored neatly in a rented locker near the company headquarters, and as for all of the items used in this set, she has an idea of what to do with those, if Bang PD approves.

She walks into the other spaces, to check to be sure the illusion of the set is complete. One bedroom with three sets of bunk beds, and one small single bed. One studio room with the same model computer they all shared a dozen years ago. The small bathroom and tiny kitchen, complete with items she could identify from various videos she had watched on his hard drives. She smiles, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

She had worked almost around the clock for several days to bring this together quickly. She hadn't even had time to speak with Jungkook, but that is probably for the best. She is sure that he is certainly busy writing for their Comeback album. She hadn't managed to run across him at HYBE, even at the gym. There was a little disappointment at not seeing him again, but it was probably better if she didn't see him until she has to. She's already confused herself enough about what she feels for him. It would be hard to keep her head straight if she spent too much time alone with him.

She hasn't actually seen anyone other than Bang PD and the crew over the last few days she spent organizing everything. She was the one to choose the camera operator, and sound recordists for the shoot. She made the choices on what the shooting days would be and the schedule, with the approval of Bang PD, and the groups manager who had all their official schedules. There is almost nothing left to do other than open the door to them all the next morning.

The first day of shooting will begin early, with the crew call, which includes Jungkook. The other members of the group are staggered throughout the next few days, starting with Kim Seokjin, in order to capture their individual reactions, and to not make it quite so obvious that it is not possible to get all seven of them together at the same time. The individual shoots will make it easier to get meaningful footage without the use of multiple cameras and one operator is enough to capture their reactions. The operator and lighting crew have already been on set to stage lighting and set the camera on the tripod for the first position, the door opening to each of them, the first sight of the recreated space. The rest of the shoot will follow the member through the apartment, viewing every space, stopping to look at familiar items and reminisce. She brought her camera along to capture some of the footage in tighter spaces, and she has walked through with her camera already to get the layout. Each member's footage will be cut into the old footage, almost allowing the viewer to take the trip down memory lane with them.

She has each member scheduled with the exception of Taehyung who has yet to return phone calls or messages from anyone in the company. The only thing she is worried about it having to hold onto this property longer, and delay the music video release because of whatever is happening in his schedule right now. Jungkook did not explain what is going on but she assumes he knows more than he shared. The longer this goes on, the longer they wait to complete the video, the more time she has to spend with Jungkook and the harder it will be for her to forget and move on to the next project.

She walks into the cramped kitchen, standing at the small sink, lowering down to see a tiny window and she looks out at the view of the buildings beyond. She wonders what it would be like to have such a humble start, and to have worked so hard, for so long, and to now have the entire world at your feet. Did they know what would happen? Could they have guessed just how much their lives would change?

She walks back through the apartment, looking over everything in the dwindling light from outside the small windows. She wants to check just one more time before she heads home for the night. As she steps back into the living room, she reaches for her bag and she hears keys in the door outside. She freezes in place. The tenants of the apartment do not have keys, the locks were temporarily changed by HYBE staff to ensure the security of the set. The crew is not set to begin production until 7:00am, and none of them have keys. Bang PD does not even know exactly what the plan is or where the set will be until they have all their footage, and then they will bring him to set to walk through it himself, as Jungkook has planned. She listens closely, her blood rushing through her veins as she wonders just who could have access to this space other than, Jungkook.

"Binna?" She hears his voice, surprised, as he sees her standing close to the entry.